Oprah Winfrey Tops Forbes' 2012 List of Highest-Paid Celebrities

Even though Oprah Winfrey earned $125 million less between May 2011 and May 2012 than she did the previous year, she still managed to hold on to her spot as the richest star around. Once again, the TV host and OWN/Harpo Productions CEO, 58, tops Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid celebrities.

With her past year earnings totaling a staggering $165 million, Winfrey beat out director Michael Bay, who raked in $160 million in 2011 (mostly thanks to his amazing Transformers deal, which guarantees him a solid share of movie and merchandise profits).

Forbes points out that Winfrey's 2011 payday was particularly impressive given the uncertain state of her fledgling OWN network (she draws no salary there), as well as the fact that her daytime TV show, formerly the linchpin of her media empire, came to an end.